Understanding what makes good swag is one thing, but the real power lies in knowing how to use it effectively.
It's understandable if you aren't 100% certain what swag is, or maybe have a few questions about how to use it. Not only can we point you in the right direction about what swag is and how it's changing, but we've also got to thinking about how the amazing companies we work with have used it in the past.
They are a creative bunch. Not only are they constantly coming up with these insanely cool ideas that help make the design process go oh-so smoothly, but they are also always coming up with unique ways to use what we create.
While there is no limit to the number of ways you can make use of good quality swag, here are some of the ways our customers have been using it.
Merchandise
When people around you start talking about branded swag, there's a good chance that some pretty miserable stuff starts coming up in your mind. Crappy plastic pens, mass-produced t-shirts with company logos splattered on the front and the like were once par for the course, but thankfully things have moved on.
What qualifies as swag now is exactly the kind of stuff that people would want to buy for themselves, and that's just what happens a lot of the time. Many of the brands that we work with are able to create things like custom Christmas sweaters and Hawaiian shirts that are in turn sold on to their fans and followers on their website.
This is a particularly fruitful thing for all involved. Not only does it help our client get their brand name out there, but we have complete confidence that the recipient will in turn be delighted with it as well.
Having your brand associated with a quality product is not something that can exactly be measured on a graph, but the impact of it is no less real from a customer's perspective. It gets even better should they find out where it came from, as the steps we take when creating our swag involve making the sustainable choice at every opportunity that we get.
Team gifts
Behind every great company is a set of fantastic people who know what the hell they are doing. That might not be the most poetic way of putting it, but it doesn't change the fact that the people at the grindstone are what keep things moving.
Rewarding those people with custom made swag not only makes sense from a management perspective, but it can also be a great way to build team spirit. You'd be surprised how quickly a group of people in matching Hawaiian shirts are to form bonds among one another, and a gesture like that will help make sure they know their work is appreciated.
Another benefit of this is by celebrating this, you are in turn making your brand look like a great thing to be involved in. Both in a marketing sense should you decide to share photos of your unique custom swag on social media and from the perspective of prospective employees, it will put paid to any doubts about just how amazing your brand really is.
Client gifts
Working with likeminded clients and partner companies not only creates new opportunities and helps your own brand grow, but it also just makes work that little bit more pleasurable. If there's a particular client that comes to mind when you think of what you would like all of the others to be, there is no harm in making your respect and admiration known to them.
Some good quality custom-made swag is the perfect way to do that, and it's something that we see many of our own customers being very successful with. By nurturing that relationship and showing that you appreciate the hard work that has gone on in building it, you can in turn create a deeper bond that will hopefully last long into a very fruitful future for everyone involved.
You want to hit all the right notes with the client gifts you decide to give, as one good gift is worth more than a dozen crappy ones. Making sure that it can be appreciated by all the members of their team is another crucial element to it, so things like custom-made t-shirts and hoodies are sure to please the crowd and let it be known that you place a lot of value in the relationship between your two brands.
Events
Remember we spoke already about what swag used to be? Cheap, mass-produced stuff that nobody really wanted used to be all we could hope to find in the world of swag, and any kind of business or networking event would likely put you right in the firing line.
Most of that stuff was only destined for one place: a landfill someplace. Thankfully we have moved on, and now the only swag people want to see decked out on a table at an event is the kind of stuff that they actually want to keep.
It is a highly effective way to garner a bit of brand equity, and putting in the effort to find something worthwhile can pay dividends. People tend to remember the times they receive some swag that was really special, and you can be damn sure they will also remember who it was that actually gave it to them.
Anything you have in mind
The thing is, these are just examples of how our swag is being used by the companies who come to us. It's all custom-made to your exact specifications and nothing will ever get made without your approval on every single aspect of it, so really once it's created you can do whatever you please with it.
Just like we love working with other brands to come up with clever ways to create something unique, we love hearing about how it gets used and how it was received by everyone. If you are still in the early stages and not 100% sure whether or not the time is coming for you to obtain some high quality swag, simply reach out to us so we can see what we can come up with together.